Gal Gadot Listened to Beyoncé to Prepare for Her Wonder Woman Audition

In W magazine's May cover, Gal Gadot, the new Wonder Woman, reveals how she prepared for her coveted audition: “Who runs the world? Girls! I just started to dance, and I let my anxiety go. Thank you, Beyoncé!”

On June 2, Gal Gadot, a former Miss Israel, will become the first woman to headline a superhero film in more than a decade when she appears as Wonder Woman. Like her comic book alter ego, Gadot is stunning and skyscraper tall, with a gracious, lovely demeanor. Even without her lasso and shield, she looks as though she could save the world.

On the day we met, she was channeling her powers into decorating a cake. (Who would’ve guessed that the actress had such a way with fondant?) “I want to start with a blue cake,” Gadot said definitively, as we entered Duff’s CakeMix, in Los Angeles. She was wearing simple black pants, a navy sweater, and classic black Gucci loafers.

Although she was six-months pregnant with her second child, the baby bump was nearly undetectable. Gadot, who has a doelike quality, wasn’t wearing makeup and her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail. “You couldn’t have invented a more perfect ­Wonder Woman than Gal,” Patty Jenkins, the film’s director, told me later.

"Wonder Woman" Star Gal Gadot Was a Very Reluctant Pageant Queen

“It sounds strange, but Gal is so clean—so pure—but it’s not for lack of wisdom or information. Like Wonder Woman, she is beautiful, kind, and strong. It’s a choice to stay so spiritually clean. Gal instinctively understands that choice.”

At CakeMix, customers pick out a round cake from a rainbow of prefrosted (but plain) options, and then are invited to ponder a vast array of decorations. There was a choice of equally colorful packets of icing, sacks of sprinkles in every hue, and glass vials of edible glitter. There was also a daunting assortment of letters, numbers, toys, and all manner of doodads. I felt overwhelmed and weirdly fascinated by the glitter, but Gadot was instantly focused: She chose white and purple fondant, a star-shaped cookie cutter, purple icing for accents, and a baggie full of small gold balls. While I was stuck in a state of confusion, Gadot had a simple, elegant plan.

“I have always been organized,” Gadot said, as we passed a table full of grade school girls who were decorating cupcakes. We sat across from each other—our naked cakes in front of us, yearning for personalization. (Mine was also blue—I was copying Gal, and you would, too).

Gadot began to roll out the fondant on the table. “Growing up in Israel,” she said, “I didn’t know much about Wonder Woman. But it’s like ­Superman—a household name.” For those who are not comic book aficionados: Wonder Woman, aka Diana Prince, was sculpted from clay and brought to life by Zeus. In the film, set during World War I, she joins the Allied forces, believing it’s her duty to fight for love and justice. Unlike Batman, Wonder Woman is not consumed by existential angst. She is a warrior who believes that with the help of her magical bullet-defying bracelets and lasso, goodness will triumph over evil.

It was a difficult part to get. Gadot’s first appearance as Wonder Woman was in last year’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. She was the best thing in what was otherwise a bloated and dull superhero extravaganza. Gadot, 32, had not set out to become a comic book legend—or even an actress, for that matter. After she was crowned Miss Israel in 2004, a casting director asked her to audition for the role of the Bond girl in Quantum of Solace.

“I said, ‘No way,’ ” Gadot recalled, as she placed stars around her cake. “I said, ‘I’m studying law and international relations. I’m way too serious and smart to be an actress, and besides, the script is all in English.’ I spoke English, but I wasn’t comfortable with it.”

Eventually, she came around to the idea, and while she didn’t become 007’s latest squeeze (the part went to the Ukrainian actress Olga Kurylenko), Gadot ended up joining the cast of Fast and Furious, an extremely successful franchise about competing daredevil drivers.

“When I auditioned for Batman v Superman, I didn’t know it was for Wonder Woman,” Gadot continued. “The director, Zack Snyder, asked me to do a camera test. That was torture. They were looking at six or seven girls, and we were all in separate trailers and were told to stay inside until they called us. Waiting is my enemy Number One, and I was losing my mind. So, I decided to put on Beyoncé.” Gadot smiled. “Who runs the world? Girls! I just started to dance, and I let my anxiety go. Thank you, Beyoncé!”

When Gadot was chosen for the role, there was outcry in the online universe. “ ’Cause my boobs were too small,” Gadot told me. “Yeah—that was a big problem,” she added, laughing. “The Web really paid attention to the important side of Wonder Woman.”

Gal Gadot: Wonder Woman on the Red Carpet and Beyond

2009

The young actress first arrived on the scene at the CW Network celebration of its new series The Beautiful Life: TBL dressed in flirty strapless little black dress paired with an oversized tan corset belt. She completed her look with a pair of black cross-strap platform sandals.

2009

At the Los Angeles premiere of Fast & Furious, Gadot looked fresh faced as she posed on the red carpet in a mini purple strapless dress.

2013

The actress appeared at the London World Premiere of Fast & Furious 6 in a edgy black beaded gown that featured a plunging neckline.

2013

On the red carpet of the Los Angeles premiere of Fast & The Furious 6, Gadot showed off her incredible figure in a ombre grey gown featuring a plunging neckline snd thigh split.

2013

The actress opted for a sexy playful look as she posed on the red carpet of the Los Angeles premiere of Riddick wearing a black leather shell top, black and white abstract- patterned circle skirt and a pair of scrappy black heels.

2015

The actress looked smoking dressed in a David Koma cutout little black dress while attending the Entertainment Weekly: Women Who Kick Ass panel at Comic-Con.

2015

At the UK Premiere of The Last Witch Hunter, Gadot dressed in a sleeveless little black dress that featured a bit of fabric draping on the left leg. She completed her look with a pair of strappy sandals.

2016

The actress looked flawless at the premiere of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice in a Balmain cut-out mini dress that showed off the star's toned figure. Gadot topped off her outfit with white Sophia Webster sandals.

2016

Gadot in Dolce & Gabbana at a photo call for Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice in Mexico City, March 2016.

2016

Gadot looked ravishing at the European premiere of Batman v Superman, styled in a scarlet Prada gown with a plunging neckline and embellished shoulder straps.

2016

The actress wowed on the red carpet of the Mexico City premiere of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in a high-low floral Giambattista Valli gown that put her stunning legs on display.

2016

Looking simple yet elegant, Gadot opted for a black pantsuit at the UK premiere of Criminal. she topped of her polished look with a pair of black pumps and a gray box clutch.

2016

Gal Gadot in Dolce & Gabbana at a taping for Jimmy Kimmel Live, March 2016.

The actress looked stunning at the premiere of Keeping Up with the Joneses, wearing a Dolce & Gabbana strapless dress rendered in gold and silver sequins.

Going with a sultry look while attending a screening for Keeping Up With The Joneses, Gadot opted for a fitted David Koma color-blocked halter and ruffle-hem dress.

2017

The mommy to be dressed up her baby bump in a Mugler slip dress with a sequined bodice and a high front slit for the Golden Globes. She completed her look with black Stuart Weitzman sandals.

The actress attended the 2017 MTV Movie and TV Awards in a fringed blazer dress by Cinq A Sept and Tiffany & Co jewelry.

Gadot attends a press conference for Wonder Woman in China wearing a cobalt blue gown with slicked back hair.

For the world premiere of Wonder Woman, Gadot looked the superhero part in a red sequined Givenchy gown.

At the film's Mexico City premiere, Gadot embraced her dark side in a draped black gown with a dark lip.

What the Web didn’t seem to notice was that in an increasingly divisive world, a heroine like Wonder Woman just might be what this country needs. Which is exactly what Jenkins thought. “Trump or no Trump,” she said, “Wonder Woman stands for beauty, truth, love, and goodness. She understands that finding the truth is complicated, but she will always be kind. There’s something very reassuring about that, especially now.”

Jenkins and Gadot have become very close: Their husbands are friends, and Alma, Gadot’s 5-year-old daughter, hangs out with Jenkins’s son. Although she has a home in Israel, where her parents live, Gadot and her husband, Yaron Versano, a real estate developer, recently bought a house in Los Angeles and have enrolled Alma in school. “I’m going to have the baby here,” Gadot noted, as she arranged gold balls in a triangle on top of the cake (her daughter Maya was born in late March).

She said that she plans to take her newborn on a world tour to promote Wonder Woman. “I found out I was pregnant while shooting Justice League. I had terrible migraines. I would show up in dark glasses, and they all thought I was going ­Hollywood, but I was only pregnant.”

Gadot paused to study her cake.

“Should I add something?” she wondered aloud. Unlike my creation, which had a motley assemblage of fondant flowers and edible pearls (I never figured out the glitter), Gadot’s looked perfect. “It’s a superhero cake,” she said happily. “Wonder Woman would be proud.”

Gal Gadot's Best Beauty Moments, From Fast & Furious to Wonder Woman

Attending the "Women of the Israeli Defense Forces" celebration in New York, the former 2004 Miss Israel winner glows with luminous skin and subtle grey smoky eye. (2007)

Wearing her hair in a high pony with a full set of bangs and a natural face, Gadot attends the CW Network celebration of the series The Beautiful Life: TBL. (2009)

At Universal's premiere of the Fast & Furious, Gadot wears her hair in a sleek pony with a hint of cream blush on the cheeks and a taupe smoky eye. (2009)

Gadot goes blonde, wearing her locks in a tousled up do with sun-kissed skin and a burgundy lip at the Fast and Furious 5 premiere Rio de Janeiro. (2011)

At the Los Angeles premiere of Riddick, Gadot keeps her look simple, yet chic with a braided, low bun and a subtle golden smoky eye. (2013)

Gadot goes full glam at the Universal's premiere of Fast & Furious 6 with side swept, polished curls and matte, burgundy lip. (2013)

Wearing her hair in a tousled up with an exaggerated smoky cat eye, Gadot attends the world premiere of Fast & Furious 6 in London.

The natural beauty keeps her shoulder length locks in natural waves with a light copper smoky eye at the screening for Keeping Up With The Joneses.

Keeping her hair in a braided up do with a light contour on the cheekbones and a coral red lip, Gadot attends the Entertainment Weekly: Women Who Kick Ass panel during Comic-Con International 2015.

Wearing her hair in a sleek, french braid with a golden metallic smoky eye and a satin burgundy lip, Gadot arrives at the Keeping Up with the Joneses Los Angeles premiere. (2016)

At the London premiere of Criminal, Gadot keeps her straight hair swept behind the ears in a sleek side-part with creamy luminous skin and a bold red lip. (2016)

Opting for a colorful look, Gadot wears a a navy blue eyeliner with a satin coral red lip at the Warner Bros. Presentation during Comic-Con International 2016 in San Diego. (2016)

Gadot glows at the London premiere of Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, keeping her hair in a tousled up do with luminous skin and a bright red lip. (2016)

At the Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice New York premiere, Gadot keeps her hair middle-parted in natural waves with taupe smoky eye and a swipe of blush on the cheekbones. (2016)

Stunning at the 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards, Gadot wears her hair in a sleek, braided up do with a grey smoky eye and a light pink lip. (2017)